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 Evolution 19 ‘Scott vs. Varvaskoukku’ Preview
Randy: “We’re back for another edition of Evolution’s count-down previews as we get ready for Evolution 19 ‘Scott vs. Varvaskoukku’ which comes to you live from the LA Memorial Collossuseum in down-town Los Angeles on Wednesday September 11th, 2013. It’s hard to believe it’s been 12 long years since that tragic day in New York and we at Evolution want to give a special thanks to all the military, police and fire departments who risk their lives on a daily basis so we can have the freedoms we do. We’d also like to send our thoughts and prayers to all the families who were affected on that fateful day. I’m joined here now by my guest tonight and the younger brother of my former manager Michael Patrick McDonnell. Thanks for coming on the show tonight Mikey, it’s been a long-time man.”
MPM: “It’s great to be here tonight but you’re really cramping my style man. I should be back in New York right now hitting the gym hard.”
Randy: “That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about today. You’re going to be competing in a 32-man tournament later in the year called The Ultimate Manager. What got you and Sean interested in that tournament?”
MPM: “Well, this is actually the third such tournament that is being held though the first in this specific organization. The previous winners went from unknowns to eventual superstars in the business and I saw this as an opportunity to do the same.”
Randy: “I know that you’ve fought plenty as an amateur and obviously having an older brother who is a former professional boxer and now an MMA coach means that you’ve been in the gym and training for most of your life. Is there any plans on making a professional debut before the start of this tournament?”
MPM: “Sean and I discussed that possibility but we decided against it. A lot of these guys don’t know anything about me as a fighter. They’ve never seen my amateur fights and it won’t be an easy task for them to get any kinda film on me. Sean and I saw to it that most of the film was destroyed. We’re coming into this tournament as a complete question-mark and we’re going to take a lot of people by surprise.”
Randy: “You sound really confident in your chances of winning the tournament? Is that how you see this thing playing out? With Michael McDonnell being crowned the winner?”
MPM: “If there is any competitor in this tournament who doesn’t feel the exact same way? They might as well do themselves a favor and just stay the hell home. You’re damn right I think I’m going to win this thing. My name is going to go down in history and this will be the start of a great career for me.”
Randy: “Have you scoped out any of the competition? What are your thoughts on the other competitors in the tournament?”
MPM: “Absolutely we’ve checked out the competition. Before Sean and I decided on how we were going to train for this thing we took a nice look at the other guys in the tournament. It seemed like there were a ton of amateur wrestlers signing up for this thing. There were also a fair amount of muay-thai kick-boxers signing up for the tournament. Sean and I decided we’d work hard on my kick-boxing so that I am comfortable on my feet and since I didn’t grow up as a wrestler we thought it might be a tough task to get good enough as a wrestler to keep up with some of these guys who have done it for a life-time so we decided to work really hard on my BJJ so I can work my submission game off my back.”
Randy: “What can you tell me about your first round opponent?”
MPM: “Honestly I don’t know anything about him. Originally I was matched up against 1 of Rory Daly’s guys but then he was M.I.A. for a little while. Can’t say I really blame him, if I found out I drew me as a first round opponent I probably would’ve gone into hiding too. I know there was some talk about possibly using one of the replacements but I think Rory reared his ugly head again and decided he’d still use one of his guys. I can’t say that I’ve paid that much attention to it lately, I’ve been working really hard in the gym and my opponent is really irrelevant to me. The fight is going to end the same way and that’s with me victorious.”
Randy: “Is there any fighter or manager in the tournament that you’ll be playing extra close attention to?”
MPM: “I’m going to just train man. I know Sean will probably be paying real close attention to Ethan Downs guys. According to my brother this Ethan is like the master of tournaments and his guys are 6-0 against our team so I know that guy has him really worried. Me? I don’t worry about those types of things. I don’t think Sean would worry about them as much either if it were he who was able to step into the cage, but you can only do so much as a coach so he just gets nervous for his fighters.”
Randy: “Good luck in the tournament and in your professional career. You know I’ll be rooting for you kiddo. Let’s jump right into the breakdowns of this card.”
Anabol Asteroid (39-17-4) vs. Richard Bennett (33-18-1)
Two veteran middle-weights kick things off on the main-card portion of the card when former Crashforce and NFC 185lbs champion Anabol Asteroid looks to make it 2 in a row when he takes on ‘the machete’ Richard Bennett. Asteroid has fought some of the best middle-weights in the world and actually holds a 1-1 record against the current champion Pentti Hirvonen. He’ll look to build on a decision victory over John Aman the last time he stepped into the cage as he continues to try to climb the ladder in the division and get a possible shot at a rubber-match with Hirvonen. Anabol is an elite boxer who likes to push a really hard pace working behind good jabs and straight right hands. Asteroid also has pretty effective leg kicks and mixes them into his game-plan well but definitely prefers to rely on his punches when getting into exchanges. Anabol Asteroid has also shown good finishing ability throughout his career finishing 24 of his 39 career victories by way of TKO or knock-out and that could be a factor in this fight as Bennett has been stopped by strikes 7 times in his career. Richard Bennett is a very skilled muay-thai striker and likes to mix his punches and kicks up well as he pushes his opponent’s backwards with his strikes and then tries to tackle them against the cage in the clinch position. Bennett likes to let loose with all available limbs while against the cage and has also shown the ability to finish fights by finishing close to 58% of his career victories by knock-out. Bennett has looked good under his new management knocking out John Aman in his last fight and only losing a split decision to Hirvonen before he became champion. This should be a very entertaining striking match with the winner climbing another rung up the ladder of this very deep middle-weight division.
Randy: “Can’t say that I know a whole lot about Anabol Asteroid though looking at some of the guys he’s fought and beat I’d say he’s probably a very good fighter. I’m going to lean towards Bennett here because I’ve been watching him fight for a very long time, first under the tutelage of Judoka and then the great Luke Daigle. I know he’s never really done enough to be considered 1 of the elite fighters in the division but he’s a gritty veteran who’s been in a lot of tough battles and I see him making a nice late career run under the Jimma Jam management.”
MPM: “Eh, you’re an idiot Randy. I completely understand why my brother sent your ass to the un-employment line. How are you going to pick a guy who’s never really gotten the job done at the top level? Bennett lost to Baddabing back at Blitz 105. Sure he won the title at CFC but really? How big of an accomplishment is that anymore? He went 5-5 in Synchrocity and then he lost in his lone title shot in this organization to Glozman. Asteroid has won world championships, he’s beaten the current champion Hirvonen. I’m taking Asteroid all the way in this one. This one will be easier than taking candy from a baby Randy.”
Ares Constantinides (32-18-1) vs. Daniel Ruanti (38-14-1)
Next up on the card is a 3 round fight in the light-heavyweight division when the former Blitzkrieg NY 205lbs champion looks to even the score in this rematch when he takes on Daniel Ruanti. These two fighters first faced off in Constantinides Evolution debut at EVO 4 where he dropped a 30-27 Unanimous decision. Both fighters came out really conservative in that fight and ‘The God of War’ really just couldn’t get anything going in that fight. These two fighters look pretty evenly matched on the feet with Constantinides holding a slight edge in the boxing department where his opponent is probably the better muay-thai striker. It would appear on paper that Constantinides has an advantage in the grappling department but he failed to take advantage of it in the last fight preferring to trade blows with Ruanti against the cage and at distance. Ruanti came in with a really good strategy last time but he has to expect that Constantinides will come out more aggressive in this fight then the previous one so it’ll be interesting to see if Ruanti mixes things up at all. Daniel typically prefers a kick heavy game-plan and isn’t afraid to throw in some grappling by taking fights into the clinch or down to the ground. A win in this fight would make it 4 in a row for him and he’d likely find himself in the cage against 1 of the top contenders next.
Randy: “This is really one of those fights I’ve been waffling on the entire time. On paper it looks like Constantinides should be able to win this fight because he certainly has the wrestling pedigree to dictate where this fight takes place. He didn’t really use that in the last fight and if he does this time around I could definitely see him taking this fight. Ruanti beat him last time and has been on a bit of a run lately so I’m going to pick him to win another decision but a closer one this time.”
MPM: “I’m a big fan of Clever Hans Schmidt. I know he’s 1 of the Convicted guys that my brother has the most respect for too because he really challenges his guys with something like 8 dudes signed to Evolution. That’s just crazy man. He’s like the complete opposite of that other Convicted manager Templeton or something like that. That dudes too scared to even step into the Evolution cage man. I don’t care if you like the organizations owner or not, business is business. With that being said I’m backing Schmidt’s guy in this fight. He’s gonna take this mother-fucker down and pound him out from a dominant position.”
Pat Barry (19-2) vs. Igor Glozman (43-20)
Pat Barry steps into the Evolution cage for just the 2nd time as he takes on the former champion Igor Glozman. Barry is a high level striker with really good knockout power finishing 13 of his 19 career victories by TKO or knock-out. Barry likes to take the center of the cage and keep moving forward behind his punches and kicks. Barry likes to throw lots of kicks to the leg and body and is fairly accurate with both techniques. Barry also likes to throw a lot of head strikes with his hands and lands on 70% of his strike attempts to the head. Glozman has been knocked out 14 times in his long career so don’t be shocked if Barry comes out guns blazing right from the opening bell. Igor has a big experience advantage in this fight as he steps into the cage as a professional for the 64th time and has 3x the amount of fights than his opponent. Igor’s skills seem to be declining a little bit with age but he is 1 of the best knock-out punchers the middle-weight division hash every seen with 37 of 43 career victories being stopped by strikes. Glozman is also a bit more well-rounded then his opponent and could mix things up and take this fight to the ground. Barry has very good takedown defense and therefore hasn’t spent much time on his back in his career. It’d be interesting to see how he’d handle himself on the ground with Glozman. This is the biggest fight in Barry’s career as Glozman is far and away the biggest name he has ever faced. A win in this fight could be a giant boost to Barry’s career and he knows the opportunities that could await him if he pulls this fight off so I expect both of these fighters to come out swinging and this one could be the fight of the night.
Randy: “I’m taking Barry in this fight. I think he’s gonna shock some guys in this fight and really establish himself as a contender in the division by putting Glozman away in the 1st round. I just think Igor has taken too much punishment during his career and is probably pretty close to being done. Still he’s probably 1 of the best gate-keepers a division could hope for because he’s experienced, he’s well-rounded and win or lose this guy provides highlight-reel knock-outs.”
MPM: “I hate picking against you in every fight Randy but I just can’t back you on this one either. I do think Barry looks like he has the ‘potential’ to be a great fighter. I just can’t back a guy I really don’t know anything about. The guy took a lot of fights in KT and this is MMA Randy, and as a wrestler you should know better than anybody how important the ability to grapple can be in this sport. I look at his record and I don’t know anybody he’s fought or beaten for the most part. Igor has been in there with just about everybody dude and sure he’s taken a lot of beatings but most of the time when he gets beat it’s to an established fighter in the division. I guess what I’m saying is I’m from Missouri so you gotta show me. Glozman is more proven so I got him winning this fight by knock-out.”
Congo Ashantie (33-9-1) vs. Christopher Samba (27-9-2)
Our co-main event of the evening is a 5 round contest in the heavyweight division as former IMMA 265lbs champion Congo Ashantie looks to make it two in a row and turn around a recent up-and-down stretch in the division when he takes on a man who is 12-1-1 in his last 14 fights Christopher Samba. Ashantie moved to 5-3-1 since dropping his title to Staal at IMMA 123 and looks to gain some momentum once again in the division by making it two in a row against a fighter who has been developing quite a reputation lately. Ashantie is a heavy handed striker who pushes a fast pace for a heavyweight and really mixes up his punches and kicks well while constantly moving forward and searching for the knock-out. Ashantie is also very adept in the clinch against the cage and unleashes brutal knees to the body and head. He also uses punches and elbows to the head well. His opponent tonight has been on quite the roll as mentioned earlier and a win over the former champion will only jump him further up the ladder and likely land him in a fight against a top 3 contender. Samba is a world class wrestler and lands an amazing 62% of his takedown attempts. Once on the ground Samba use his ground strikes to wear down his opponents and try to advance to dominant positions. Samba is also very skilled on the feet and is an elite boxer who mixes in a decent amount of leg-kicks into his game-plan. Ashantie does have 78% takedown defense in his career and he will really need to have success in that department in this fight if he has any hope of pulling out a victory.
Randy: “I really like this Christopher Samba guy. He’s a great grappler and is pretty durable for a heavy-weight. As much as I’d love to pick him to win this fight I just can’t do it. Dirk Copeland is a terrific manager when he wants to be but he has a lot of distractions going on in his life with the launch of a website and other things. I think Klatz and company are just hungrier right now and I see Ashantie winning this fight and taking all the hype that Samba has been building up these last few years.”
MPM: “I agree. Samba should fire Dirk Copeland and come train with my brother and I if he were a smart fighter. I really am rooting for Samba in this fight and hope that Dirk has been very involved in the training camp for this fight. I am not sure how much he’s been focusing on managing his fighters lately and I think Ashantie has the better game-plan and puts Samba away inside the distance.”
Barry Scott (27-11-1) vs. Rainer Varvaskoukku (18-9-2)
Our main-event of the evening is a 5 round contest in the feather-weight division as two of the divisions best face off when Barry Scott meets Rainer Varvaskoukku. Both of these fighters are ranked in the top 10 world rankings in this weight class and a win in this fight will push them very close to getting a title shot. Barry Scott rebounded nicely by winning a decision over Van Altenburg at Evolution 16 after dropping his title to Katsu and then dropping a decision to current champion Sly Randolph. Scott recently declined a signing bonus in his contract because he’s not sure how many fights he has left in his career and for the time being is taking things on a fight to fight basis. With retirement possibly right around the corner you have to worry how dedicated he is in the gym right now because if he isn’t in shape for this fight it could be trouble. Scott is known for pushing a good pace on the feet as he tries to wear down his opponents and get the fight to the ground so it’s important that he’s prepared to go the full 5 rounds and keep the same pace from start to finish. His opponent in this fight is Rainer Vavaskoukku and he is coming off of a very impressive SOTN by getting a 28 second submission victory over Matt Miller. Varvaskoukku is one of the most dangerous BJJ practicioners in the business and is dangerous pretty much anywhere on the ground. Rainer is not quite as well-rounded on the feet as his opponent and usually looks to lay back and avoid taking damage while trying to get the fight to the mat. It will be interesting to see if Scott is willing to play in the guard of Varvaskoukku or if he’ll decide to try to take advantage of an appeared advantage on the feet and just out-strike the BJJ red belt. One of these guys could find themselves in a #1 contender match with a victory in this fight.
Randy: “This is going to sound a bit asinine after giving the reasons I gave to not pick Samba in the last fight but I am gonna lean towards Barry Scott in this fight. Scott is going to press forward in this fight and land more shots on the feet. I think he’ll avoid the submissions from Rainer and win a razor close decision victory.”
MPM: “I am going to take Varvaskoukku for the same reasons I gave in the last fight. I think Dirk is preoccupied with other shit and I think Scott takes this fight to the ground and gets caught in something slick. Did you see what happened to Matt Miller? That was just nasty dude. This Varvaskoukku is a serious danger to anybody on the ground, make no mistake about it.”
Randy: “This is a great card and a few guys could really find themselves close to title contention with big wins here on this card. We’ll be back later in the week with the preview for Evolution 20 ‘Narushima vs. Carlton.’
MPM: “I wish I could’ve been your guest on that show dude. There are some terrific fights on that card. The main-event between the LHW and HW champions is going to be a fucking slug-fest. If that fight makes it out of the first round I’ll be shocked. Then you back it up with Vandalay vs. Marciano? The 170lbs championship on the line? C’mon dude. That shit is just sick. There isn’t 1 other organization in the MMA universe that can put on these kinda cards. That’s not talking shit, that’s just being fucking real dude. I’ll be in attendance that night, you can bet your ass on that.”
Randy: “I completely agree with you on that point. Evolution just puts on great event after great event and there isn’t 1 organization out there that’s even close. If you and Sean do come into town for the event give me a call. Thanks again for coming on the show Mikey. This is Randy Ortiz, signing off for now.”
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